FOOD DONATION

After a month of hard research where I have visited many horrible shelters, some with up to 500 dogs in them, we now have our next focus/project. It is a nightmare: many are old, many are sick and many are begging to get out. Several of these shelters, or portions of them at least, are housing animals on behalf of the government, but the agency won’t pay the money for food and medicine for the dogs. According to the operators, they (government agency) claim they don’t have any money. The dogs are suffering yet according to the law they are not allowed to be euthanized.

AWL really needs your help now! We have decided to help one shelter this summer. This one in particular will not have any food for their 400 dogs. They are in debt at the dog-food dealer, who won’t extend any more food on credit to them. Without your help, these dogs will starve!
Click here to watch the video from February

Please arrange a food collection at your work, school or social group here in Campania. One person can send out this email and add his/her room and contact information. Let us know who is collecting and where, and we will arranged pick up from you next Friday, with delivery directly to the shelter You can also make a donation and we will buy the food. (http://www.animalswithoutlimits.com/ )

You can read more about it at http://animalswithoutlimits.blogspot.com/2010/05/cry-for-help-visiting-new-to-us-shelter.html
I thank Admiral David and Ylva Mercer (not related to me) for their generous donation, and Vania Lamanna at Support Site who is undertaking a big food drive through her network of friends and associates.

Thank you for helping us helping those who don’t have a voice.

WE ALL ARE HELPINGTO REACH THE SAME GOAL HEALTHY STRAY'S

And Wendy brought her foster dog out to Lega for sterilization and AWL could help.

One volunteer brought the dog Diana in for sterilization and thanks to donations for spay and neuter we can support.

Wonderful Steph from the vet clinic on base called and told me that I could come and get 13 bags of dog food. Wow, I was in heaven so many bags from one person! He had said he had enough feeding the strays he wanted to bring them home all of them. SO he decided that rather that "just" quiet he bought food and let someone else do it. That is wonderful thinking. Instead of letting the pain eat you up and not doing anything, he changed the concept. I love that!

WEDNESDAY LAST WEEK

(All the pictures 2010 (c) Mia Mattsson)
Since we have been so busy I will have to go backwards in our happenings here. Well, Milla and Monica arrived from Sweden and we went out to Rossella Shelter. I wanted to give the girls a guided tour. At the same time it was nice to give Phillipo (who is going to Ulla in Sweden) a hug. He is great walking, and he loves lizards

Monica got to walk him too--and some other beautiful dogs.

I had earlier received 13 bags of dog food from a guy --he left them for us at the Base vet clinic--thank you so much! I also picked up a couple of plastic pallets on Base.

AWL has a new fashion line --- these beautiful scarves-- I love them. Scooby was our first model and I think he looks great. AWL thanks Himmelska Hundar and AWL Sweden for finding the scarves and Ulla for finding the great company Obidos AB, www.obidos.se for the print.

AWL SE also brought snacks, and three great walking belts and money donations. A big Private donation was also made from Milla (pictured with Scooby). Thank you for all the wonderful presents to AWL International.

We drove Scooby and Phillipo to the kennel Marco Sanna in Pozzuoli. It is closer for me to drive and bring them to the veterinarian, and we can walk them regularly, too. It also symbolizes a step closer to a forever home for them both!

SATURDAY MINI MISSIONS

Last Friday picked up another big food donation from NAVY BASE NEX. We are so grateful to you all involved.
Saturday we drove out to St Francesco Shelter with 500 dogs and some puppies to Olivia's and Max big joy. They were so happy for all the bags of dog food, thank you so much.

Max and Olivia were not happy when asked to put the puppies down. And boy, did they run around petting and playing with all the dogs. I had a hard time keeping up. They loved it.

After wards we went to Lega Pro Animale to pick up Rose and Cody who had been spayed.

And Todd walked Athena and Bella while I was roaming around after Max and Olivia again...they roaming after all the cats and buffalo's. What an amore day.

MISSION WORK LAST WEDNESDAY

The rescue dog Phillipo finally got a home after two years in the shetler, alone in a cage on conreate floor. He is now getting ready to change nationality, a true Swedish dog. Ulla in Sweden will be his new "mom" and we are so happy about that. The veterinarian Mariagrazia came out and gave him everything that's needed to get a passport, and also on my request bloodtest to see that he doesn't have any infections.

AWL supporter Tracey from LA, USA visited us for a couple of days. She joined us at the mission and walked dogs, gave them a lot of treats and love and attention. Thank you Tracey for your interest in us and all the strays, rescue dogs. Olivia is still asking after you!

AWL volunteer had this fantastic tatto made. Wowiii did I feel flattered! Thank you Keegan I know you are leaving Italy today but you have been an amazing volunteer, truly. We all love you and we will so dearly miss you. I wished I could have cloned you.

Once a year at Christmas are my husband and I holding our yearly Christmas party. This year it was for the AWL volunteers. Instead of bringing me flowers or wine we have a tradition that every guest brings us a bag of dog food or wet caned food. To our delight our whole SUV was full. Thank you all guests (se earlier blog December 13)

Thank you all for joining up last wednesday, walking dogs, putting dog houses together, cleaning the puppy section and giving treats and love.

Keegan, Todd, Eric, Jackie, Tracey, Brandy, Me--we are making a difference.

More picture on www.animalswithoutlimits.blogspot.com

A WONDERFUL LUCIA EVENING

Yesterday we had the AWL Lucia Party, for volunteers, kids and four legged kids. Max and Olivia were in Heaven with all the attention, and so were our 17 dogs. Lindy in the picture above was loved up on by Sammy.

I had requested that instead of bringing me flowers and wine, bring dog food for the shelter dogs instead. This is a tradition we started after a Christmas party we went to in Fayetteville did the same thing. We've done it here in Italy 3 years now. This year, we got approximately 25 dog food bags and 23 big cans of wet food. Thank you all so much!!

Jaz in the picture above was in delight getting her ears scratched by Bruce.

Aidan is the Lucia 2009 --- a very handsome one.

Mitra and her wonderful fiance drove down from Rome with their car full of dog food, treats and gifts for me. Aguri to your engagement!!!!! You guys are so fantastic.

Vania, thank you for your generous donation. And to all my AWL guests, thank you so much.

One Rescued, Several Others Need Help

The phone rings, I look at the watch, it is 08.30. I regret answering since I have a personal policy not to answer the phone before 09.00, because it is my family-time. But my brain was still in sleep mode, so I answered. An Italian lady wanted me to come and take her 2 puppies, she could not have them anymore. I love this when people call and demand the same day to pick up dogs. When I say we are not an adopting foundation and that myself have 12 dogs they seem not to understand, they get kind of pissy. I am even paying kennel fees for two other dogs.

Then a shelter is calling telling me that one dog is ready to be picked up, and it is 45 minutes drive from me. I ask her if we can meet up half way, the answer is, "No, don't have time!"

Another phone call from a great animal friend, she needs help finding a dog that got hit by a car and limped away probably with a broken leg. The driver, an Italian woman didn't stop.

Afternoon, a phone call from a concerned man. There is a dog in a parco that has been feed by a British lady, but she had returned to the UK two months ago. The dog is a walking skeleton, can I come and help?

Animals Without Limits is for the moment without money and it is painful to have to tell people that. Maybe it is because it is summer season and people are going on vacations? Or maybe the bad economy is causing wallets to stay closed?


I want to thank Ylva Mercer for her donation of dog food, collars, bowls, treats, and brush.

The collar came in handy for Sully who looks great in pink! Thank you for being a loyal AWL friend.

Starving Dogs

Yesterday evening around 19.00, I got a phone call from the Sengora of "Terrible Shelter." Could I come with dog food, there was no food left for them.

Urgh!! A Saturday evening, my family time and where to get food?
I locked my family into a room with chocolate* and said, "Back in a minute!"

Yes! Still some lights on in the dog store. I banged on the door and Alberto, with family, opened. I waved with the donation envelope and shouted I needed dog food for 51 dogs! He thought I couldn't get my numbers right in Italian and came with a small bag. "No no" I said, "I need 60 kg dog food!"

Kind Alberto drove the 60 kg of food ---- three huge bags --- home to my house, I surely couldn't lift that.

Back in the house, I opened the door where my family was locked in to see that they just finished their chocolate*...mom hadn't been gone that long. Sigh!

Thanks Alberto and family for helping AWL. That's sharing Amore!

* The children were not unsupervised, my husband was with them, and the chocolate!

Christmas Party Donations

We had our yearly Christmas Party here in Italy. As usual we asked our guests to bring dog food instead of wine or flowers.

Many of our beloved friends from different countries showed up, with dog food and presents. (You guys are so generous)

It was a lovely stack of dog food that Animals Without Limits can distrube to the ones mostin need

We got up to 12 dog bags and 5 big cans of dog food.

It shows that many people have a heart of Amore. Thank you friends.